1. Technical Field
The invention relates generally to the evaluation of a wheel, and more specifically, to a solution for optically measuring the wheel.
2. Background Art
Current wheel measurement solutions, such as those described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,636,026 entitled “Method and System for Contactless Measurement of Railroad Wheel Characteristics” and U.S. Pat. No. 6,768,551 entitled “Contactless Wheel Measurement System and Method”, both of which are hereby incorporated herein by reference, effectively measure various attributes of a wheel. For example, when measuring a rail wheel, attributes such as the rim thickness, the flange thickness, the flange height, the reference groove diameter (when available), the wheel diameter and the wheel angle of attack, can be measured to ensure that continued operation of the wheel remains safe.
However, to date, these solutions do not provide an effective solution for measuring other wheel attributes, such as a profile of the tread surface, that may be used to determine other defects that may impact the operable status of the wheel. For example, a wheel may not be desirable for continued operation if it: includes a flat spot; is sufficiently out-of-round (e.g., elliptical shape); includes one or more gouges, cracks, and/or shelled areas; and/or the like. To this extent, a need exists for an improved optical evaluation solution that can accurately measure one or more of these wheel attributes.